The inherent and treaty rights are important to the Shoshone-Bannock and Crow along with the need to work together to ensure that treaty language is upheld and exercised by both tribes

News Release

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Office of Public Affairs

The Crow Tribal leadership expressed their appreciation to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes for offering to assist the Crows in protecting and upholding the treaty rights for off reservation hunting, with a gift of two tipis to the current Chairman of the Fort Hall Business Council Ladd Edmo, and former chairman and current Councilmember Nathan Small. The two tribes have been engaged in council-to-council discussions on protecting treaty rights, and met in Billings, Montana last week.

Crow Chairman AJ Not Afraid stated, “On behalf of the Crow Tribe, we appreciate the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes willingness to help our Tribe, and for the hospitality we received from our previous meeting in Fort Hall. It is now our annual Crow Fair, and we invite you all to Billings to talk about the Treaty. On behalf of the Executive Officers of the Crow Tribe, I offer this 18 foot tipi to Chairman Edmo.” On behalf of the Crow Legislature, the Speaker of the House, Bryce Hugs, presented a gift of an 18 foot tipi to Councilman Nathan Small, for his support of the Crow Tribe in Washington DC, by attending the U.S. Supreme Court Hearing on the Herrera case.

Councilman Nathan Small said, "In my years of leadership and working with tribes, I have received many gifts, from Pendleton blankets, star quits, trophies and statutes -- but nothing like this gift. This is overwhelming! Thank you! What I said earlier, about the importance of the treaty, and all the information we stated – all of that comes from the heart; and I have always stated, we as Tribal leaders, we do this in a good way, for the benefit of our young people. What we are doing now, in protecting the treaty, and what changes may come about, will benefit all of us in the end. If a negative outcome came about on this Herrera case, it would have devastated our people, so we are glad the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the 1868 treaty."

In the one-day meeting, the two tribes acknowledged the historical sharing of traditions and ceremonies between our people, including the war bonnet dance and the sun dance. The inherent and treaty rights are important to the both tribes, along with the need to protect the wildlife, plants, water and lands and both tribes are ready to work together to ensure that the treaty language is upheld and exercised by both tribes. Continued council discussions are scheduled in mid-October, location to be determined.

The Crow tribal leadership shared their tribal system of government and how they made tribal laws through their three branches of government. They currently have about 14,000 plus tribal members, with approximately 7,000 who reside within their reservation boundaries.